My politics, my family’s politics and my party’s politics are about empowering people to take control of their own lives, in communities that we hope can be vibrant and and nurture diversity, ambition and a sense of collective responsibility towards a sustainable future. It can all start to sound very grand. The reality is, though, that taking control starts with very simple and mundane things that politicians – even local ones – start to overlook as their grand designs grow.

Joining the dots between people, the lives they live, their surroundings and the politicians who run the local council is what basildonFOCUS is about. Inspired by Rochford’s onlineFOCUS (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the cliché goes!), basildonFOCUS is our latest attempt to make it easier for people to raise issues that, if tackled, would make a real change to their immediate area. At the same time, it is our way of trying to keep those who voted for us informed.

The web is often cited as the solution to people’s information needs. It is not. It is part of it. For those who don’t have access, it is irrelevant. For those who have access but little experience or understanding, some supposedly helpful sites are so bloated and confusing that they are more hindrance than help.

Our intention is to keep basildonFOCUS clean-looking, informative and easy to use.

And for those who are interested, click on the excerpt of the preamble to the Liberal Democrat’s constitution to get a sense for the instinctive and inclusive beliefs that underpin the party’s philosophy.

Your comments are welcome.

“The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, we acknowledge and respect their right to freedom of conscience and their right to develop their talents to the full. We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity. We believe that the role of the state is to enable all citizens to attain these ideals, to contribute fully to their communities and to take part in the decisions which affect their lives.”